California is poised to become the next state to require schools to teach students about menstruation after legislation passed both chambers鈥攎aking it one of the few to have a requirement for curriculum on the topic as lawmakers nationally scrutinize what can be discussed about gender in the classroom.
The , which passed the Democratically-controlled state Senate unanimously on Aug. 28 and now goes to the desk of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, would require that students in grades 7-12 receive menstrual health education as part of their comprehensive sexual health education, which also addresses human development, sexuality, pregnancy, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections.
California will become one of only a few to mandate that schools have a curriculum about menstrual health, according to advocates for the measure. The legislation was propelled in part by a push from students, who saw how the gap in education was affecting them personally. The premise was proposed by one student who lost her period and didn鈥檛 know why.
There has been a wave of states making period products, like pads and tampons, available in schools for students for free (Minnesota鈥檚 requirement, in particular, has garnered attention in the past month since Gov. Tim Walz, who signed his state鈥檚 requirement into law, became Vice President Kamala Harris鈥� running mate). Researchers say the uptake for teaching students about their menstrual cycle鈥攊ncluding premenstrual syndrome (PMS), pain management, and menstrual irregularities鈥攈as been scant nationwide.
Grassroots organizations have largely covered the gaps when it comes to teaching young people about periods, and providing them with age-appropriate education.
鈥淚 think this particular set of topics has been relegated to the private sphere for a long time, like, 鈥極h, families take care of it. We don鈥檛 really need to cover it,鈥欌�� said Marni Sommer, a professor at Columbia University, who has researched experiences of menstruation globally. 鈥淚鈥檓 waiting for that wave.鈥�
Some legislation targeting the discussion of sex education earned the moniker from critics 鈥�Don鈥檛 Say Period,鈥� for restricting classroom discussions before 6th grade鈥攄espite puberty often starting for many children before then.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just our human bodies. Others put a stigma, or a label on it, or make it political, but it鈥檚 really just about the physiology of our bodies, basically,鈥� said Erin D. Maughan, a professor in the school of nursing at George Mason University. 鈥淚f we can make sure that everyone in school understands that, then I think some of the issues we hear about could be averted.鈥�
Community organizations seek to fill the period education gap
In states that lack a curriculum, some community organizations have tried to bridge the gap. As part of the programming at 3D Girls Inc.鈥攁 nonprofit in Georgia that seeks to educate and empower young women鈥攊nstructors focus part of their curriculum on special and emotional wellness, said founder Raioni Madison.
Instructors use age-appropriate books鈥攕uch as A Girl鈥檚 Guide to Puberty & Periods, developed by Sommer and colleagues鈥攖o guide the conversation. They make 鈥渄iva kits鈥� stocked with period products for students to keep in their backpacks.
The organization works with poorer school districts and under-resourced communities, where students are often facing period poverty鈥攁 lack of access to period supplies, which are often expensive and taxed.
鈥淲hat we do find is that creating a safe space for them to [learn], they鈥檙e more open to talk about it. We鈥檝e heard them say, 鈥楳y mom doesn鈥檛 talk to me about this,鈥欌�� Madison said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had parent period puberty sessions virtually, and the parents are scared to talk about this with their children, whether they want them to grow up or not, or not know what to say or nobody ever talked to them about it, and they don鈥檛 know how to articulate it.鈥�
Without basic information, advocates worry students will find misinformation
Culturally, families can be reticent to discuss periods, Sommer said. And nationally, there鈥檚 no consistency in how districts handle discussions on the topic.
鈥淵ou could be in one state, and one district in one school is doing it really well, and another school or another district is not managing to include it adequately,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd so what that means is that young people are left to find what they can on the internet, which can be a great source, but also can be a very misleading source of information, and sort of lead them to feel more afraid or confused than if they were getting basic, accurate information.鈥�
That鈥檚, in fact, what Sriya Srinivasan experienced. The high school junior in Solano County, Calif., lost her period in 2020, and began searching for the reason why online. She was told she had cancer or terminal illnesses. Three years later, when she went to the hospital for a running injury, she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, which had caused her period to stop.
She realized the lack of education she鈥檇 gotten around her period, and in talking with her friends, saw how many of them also had struggles with their period. She wondered why schools weren鈥檛 teaching about it.
Her experience prompted her to enter a bill-writing contest put on by Wilson, the California assembly member. Srinivasan proposed mandating a menstrual education curriculum. It was picked from hundreds of others, she said.
鈥淚 100 percent believe that storytelling is the best piece of advocacy, the most strongest piece of advocacy,鈥� she said.
Srinivasan鈥檚 proposal rose to the top when Wilson, a Democrat, found that young women still had a stigma around their cycle. The more she and her staff explored it, the more they found it necessary.
鈥淲e needed to have something that was standard and consistent across the state, and recognized that menstrual health is part of health education overall,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you know your body, it鈥檚 going to lead to better health outcomes.鈥�
They learned that even though California has a law mandating access to period products in school bathrooms, young menstruators were uncomfortable taking free products, or talking about their periods to their peers. Young people were turning online to seek out basic answers about their menstrual health
鈥淚 hope this will lead to the next generation of young people not having the stigma that happened in this generation, and my generation, and my mother鈥檚 generation, and the generations before us,鈥� she said.
